The Guilt Trip: A Novel

A destination wedding, six couples, and a beautiful mansion estate… what could go wrong? In The Guilt Trip, this seemingly magical experience becomes a nightmare as the group begins to realize that the bride may not be who she says she is. And with the unraveling of her secrets comes the revelation of even more lies and hidden truths among the group of friends, which leads to a deadly act.

If the plot summary makes The Guilt Trip sound like a massive soap opera, that’s because that’s what it is. Less of a thriller than Jones’ previous novels, it reads more as a drama about several unlikeable people with a couple of red herrings thrown in. Part of its shortcoming is that the entire novel takes place over the course of a few days, with little time to connect to any of the characters, making it feel rushed. These same qualities do result in a quick and fast-paced read, but it leaves something to be desired. The Other Woman was thrilling and very well-done, so perhaps this is just a hiccup before Sandie Jones’ next great thriller.